German Unexamined Application DE 43 34 856 A1 discusses an assembly for testing a gate oxide of a power component in which, despite the presence of a circuit that is monolithically integrated together with the power component, it is possible to check the gate oxide quality with a superelevated gate test voltage. Provision is made, for this purpose, for a series circuit made up of a first measurement pad, a resistor, and a second measurement pad to be disposed between the gate oxide of the power component and the integrated circuit.
In semiconductor assemblies having monolithically integrated power components, it is possible for terminals, for example a gate terminal of a MOS power transistor, to be interrupted, or for control to be lost (floating-gate state). It can happen in such a case that the power component goes into its maximum-output state, in particular when the source-drain voltage is above a threshold value. This results in failures of the power component and of the entire semiconductor assembly, which can lead to serious problems and consequential damage, in particular when the power component and the semiconductor assembly containing it are disposed in a safety-critical component of a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle. At the same time, however, it must be guaranteed that the possibly interrupted terminal is checkable in terms of its operating reliability, especially as to whether, in the case of a gate terminal or a gate oxide connected to the gate terminal, sufficient quality (i.e. sufficient voltage resistance) exists for the entire service life of the power component.